Foley Shatters Duke Record in Hammer Throw

Friday, April 22

Durham, N.C.

12:00 PM

Duke University

Day One at Duke Invitational

Foley Shatters Duke Record in Hammer Throw

4/22/2016 6:06:00 PM | Track & Field

2016 Duke Invitational: Day One Full Replay Day 1 Results Live Results

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Battling rainy conditions and one lightning delay Friday afternoon, the Duke track & field program produced a number of standout performances during the first day of the Duke Invitational at Morris Williams Stadium, headlined by two event victories and a school record falling.

Senior Michael Foley led a contingent of Blue Devils in the men's hammer throw with a second-place finish, breaking his own school record in the process with a throw of 195-5 (59.56m), more than five feet farther than his previous mark of 190-0 (57.92m).

“That was big,” Foley said about breaking the record. “I was hovering around 57 [meters] for a while at the beginning here, and then I finally bumped down on the weights and my body feels a lot better. The 60-meter line is right there, so that's my next goal. I want to get over 200 [feet] before I leave here.”

Paced by Foley, all four Blue Devils registered personal bests in the hammer throw, as freshman Iyin Battle and sophomore Jack Maher used throws of 168-6 (51.36m) and 162-10 (49.63m) to place fourth and fifth, respectively, in the men's competition, while freshman Stefani Vukajlovic continued her steady improvement in the women's hammer throw, launching theimplement a personal-best distance of 184-8 (56.30m), the second-farthest throw in program history, to take eighth.

“Honestly, [the personal bests] are a credit to Coach B.J. [Linnenbrink],” Foley said. “He has our training down to a 'T'. We're really working on trying to peak at the right time.”

Junior Grant Emrie rounded out Friday's field events in the men's long jump, placing eighth with a season-best distance of 22-6.50 (6.87m).

On the track, Duke picked up five top-10 placings between the men's and women's 800 races. Leading the charge was junior Dylan Murphy, winning the men's race and setting the meet record with a personal-best time of 1:50.12. Murphy held off the rest of the pack in section one to secure the victory, clocking a 55.78 split on his final lap. Redshirt junior Michal Filipczak finished fourth in a time of 1:51.06, while senior Tommy Meister crossed the line in 1:51.65 to place eighth overall.

On the women's side, freshman Kim Hallowes stopped the clock at 2:11.89 to finish fifth overall and second among collegiate competitors. Senior Allison Sturges placed just behind Hallowes in sixth, winning the second section in a time of 2:12.22.

Sophomore Maddy Price recorded Duke's second event win of the day in the women's 400, logging the fastest time at 53.94. Senior Anima Banks branched out from her usual 800 and 1,500-meter races to place fifth in the 400 with a time of 55.45, while freshman MacKenzie Kerr took 10^th with a 55.97 showing. Earlier in the day, Price qualified for the women's 100 final with a prelim time of 11.91 but did not race.

In the men's 400, sophomore Brett Bofinger clocked the top time for Duke by winning section one and placing fourth overall with a season-best time of 48.34.

Redshirt senior Karli Johonnot added her name to another section of the Duke records book Friday. After running a 14.48 in the preliminary heat of the women's 100-meter hurdles, the Las Vegas native blazed to a personal-best 14.30 in the final to place fourth overall. The time for Johonnot ranks as the fifth-best showing in Duke history.

Competing alongside Johonnot in the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles, fellow redshirt senior Teddi Maslowski registered the fastest qualifying time, stopping the clock at 13.79. Maslowski did not run in the final heat, but returned later in the day for the 400-meter hurdles, placing fourth overall with a season-best time of 59.44.

Capping the day on the track, the Duke duo of Matthew Rodio and Michael Wilson captured two of the top-four spots in the men's 400-meter hurdles. Rodio crossed the line in a time of 53.81 to finish second overall, followed by Wilson in fourth at 54.14.

The Duke Invitational will resume Saturday starting at 11:30 a.m. with both the men's and women's pole vault. Running events are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. With this being the final home meet of the 2016 season for the Blue Devils, a brief Senior Day ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m.

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